"IF THIS BE BEDLAM!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Breakdowns: John Romita Sr./Penciller: Jim Mooney/Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: John Romita Sr.
Synopsis: With the unwilling aid of Curt Connors and the Kingpin's former henchman Wilson, the aging Silvermane finally unveils the secret of the petrified tablet...
Review: If the last issue felt like setup, then this one feels like more of the same, but that's no bad thing when the setup is this strong. There's less of Man-Mountain Marko for a start, with the big lummox relegated to just hanging around in the background and threatening Curt Connors every now and again. The main event, though, is of course the reveal of what the hieroglyphics on the petrified tablet actually mean, although we don't find this out until the very last panel.
In the journey to getting there, we have plenty of top notch Spider-Man action as the web-head goes in pursuit of the Maggia to reclaim the tablet and rescue Curt Connors and his family, who have all been kidnapped by Silvermane and his goons. It's great seeing Spidey so determined and fighting mad in this issue, making mincemeat of Caesar Cicero's hoods and diving to the ground to stop a metal door from slamming down and separating him from the fleeing Cicero - this sequence in particular is incredibly effective, with Romita and Mooney effortlessly portraying the struggle and willpower of our friendly neighbourhood superhero. There's no big supervillain showdown, no one-on-one battle; it's just Spider-Man barrelling his way through a load of small fry to get to the top, and even if he doesn't really get anywhere in this particular issue, it's satisfying all the same to see him on top form, although I do have to question whether swinging around the entirety of New York on the off-chance that his spider sense will tell him where Connors is being held is a bit of a silly way to go about things.
Silvermane is as great a villain as ever, even if he hasn't met Spider-Man yet; that craggy, menacing face is enough to show just how much strength lies within the crippled body, and I love the way he backhands Marko just to prove who's still in charge, regardless of age. It's also nice to see more of Curt Connors this time around, although again he's being used as a Reed Richards-esque catch-all genius rather than a reptile expert, as he's tasked with deciphering the hieroglyphics of the tablet, but I do like the idea that the reason why the tablet has remained untranslated all these years is because language experts, and not a biologist were examining it: the strange hieroglyphics are actually representing chemical symbols, not words. I'm not entirely sure how Connors is able to devise a serum from some old chemical symbols - that would obviously denote the name of a chemical element - but I suppose you can't always expect a wacky plot like this to make sense all the time. It's cool to see the threat of the Lizard returning throughout the issue, another nice bit of setup for later, even if the Lizard stuff we ultimately get is pretty lacklustre. There is a continuity issue here, however, as Billy Connors reveals to his mum that he's known for years that his dad is the Lizard, after she has apparently kept it from him, which doesn't tally with what we see in ASM #6, where Billy is fully aware that his dad is the Lizard, and his mum is making no effort to hide the truth from him.
There's barely any time to look in on the supporting cast this time around, with only a few panels devoted to Gwen and Harry at ESU, and even that seems to serve little purpose other than to show off Harry's new moustache that lasts about eight issues before he shaves it off again. The moustache combined with the gold chain he's wearing around his neck make me think that Stan and John were trying to make their characters up to date with the fashions and culture of the time, and as the more straight-edged Peter would look a bit odd sporting facial hair and a bit of bling, Harry makes for a far more believable hippie type - having said that, they do try to give Peter a gold chain later down the road, but we'll cross that bizarre bridge when we get to it.
It's another issue of setup for the final confrontation between Spider-Man and Silvermane, but I don't really mind. It goes without saying at this point, but I'll say it anyway: Romita and Mooney are a phenomenal team and are bringing us the best artwork the book has had in years, even if the more intricate plots of the Ditko era have sadly been lost. The final splash page is proof enough of their powers, as Silvermane rises to his feet having drunk the serum brewed from the tablet's instructions, now decades younger: the tablet contains the secret to the fountain of youth. This could be a tad far-fetched for some, delving more into supernatural territory than scientific, but I feel it's got enough of a foot in science to make it feel appropriate for Spider-Man, and like I say: that artwork, man. The powerful, triumphant stance of the rejuvenated Silvermane as Marko looks on with a combination of confusion and horror is just an iconic image from this era. This issue may be a lot of setup with little pay-off, but it's still a good deal of fun.
Rating: 4/5
Next time, Silvermane has the prize he sought, but at what cost...?
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